Quote:
Originally Posted by Ken Smith
He's a cabinet maker? That might help explain the crude work, lack of Purfling (maybe) and the incorrect Scroll setting to the plane of the neck/Fingerboard. That Scroll will need to be cut and grafter to a better neck. A block possibly added if it's blockless and that's just for starters. I would be surprised if any professional Bass luthier could repair this for under $10k to a professional working bass.
Remember, 3-strings were still in use around the world in spots well into the 1920s. French and English shops were still offering them regardless of the fact that most had switched over to mainly 4-string.
Your reference to the links of basses at WOB makes no sense to me at all. My Batchelder has a slabish cut top and yet I make no claim of Italianism there. Just the available wood at the time. Crude does not always equal Italian. Crude = crude, period. It's not a school of making. It's a lack of schooling in the making!
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Ok, the cabinetmaker statement was opened with " From my limited vantage point" which is speculative to say the least.
It does look as though it is blockless and yes, the bill on this bass will far exceed the purchase price. That doesn't discourage me.
I agree that my attempt to relay the shape of the neck was a bit jumbled. I was at a loss for the proper descriptive terminology and strayed into left field a bit, sorry.
On the school of making, that was not very nice.
I don't claim to be an expert on double bass history, but I read just about everything I can get my hands on.
When I began this investigation, I led with Yankee based off the scroll and the attached FFs. After thoroughly examining the photographs, I am not convinced that the FFs are attached. I am also not convinced that the scroll is Yankee in style. I think that this bass reflects more European characteristics.
Crude does not mean Italian.
Look at the FFs closely, they are nearly 1/3 the lenght of the top plate. Then look at the C-bouts, very distinctive in shape and very long and kind of square in the bends. The bass in the picture below is very similar.
The FFs are placed in a very similar position, very upright and almost equadistant from the C-bouts(which are very similar as well).
I am not claiming this bass to be Italian by any means, but I have been hard pressed to find a set of FFs that match better.